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Ender's Game
Ender's Game is a science fiction novel written by Orson Scott Card. It is a novelization and expansion of, "Ender's Game", a short story originally published in Analog Magazine in 1977. Summary Ender Wiggin was born into a future Earth who was fighting an insectoid alien race called the Buggers. He was the third child of the family, which is unusual because of strict population control laws set by the government. Because of this he has infrequently bullied by his brother and classmates. Eventually one of these encounters becomes violent and Ender seriously injured a school bully. Based on Ender's actions, the governmental organization, the International Fleet, comes to take Ender away to Battle School, a space station millions of miles away from earth where the children with the most potential on earth are trained to become commanders of Earth's fleets. At Battle School, Ender initially is intentionally singled out by the staff, but he soon gains respect and moves through the ranks. The International Fleet pins all of their hopes to Ender and soon Ender finds school to be progressively harder, but he simply passes all of the tests imposed. Through out the book, the children are trained by playing games, such as a zero gravity arena where children use fake guns, Ender thinks that they are just games, but are they really? Praise * "Card understands the human condition and has things of real value to say about it. He tells the truth well -- ultimately the only criterion of greatness. ENDER'S GAME will still be finding new readers when ninety-nine percent of the books published this year are completely forgotten." - Gene Wolfe * "A gripping tale of adventure in space and a scathing indictment of the military mind. Recommended." - Library Journal * "The games are fierce and consistently exciting. The cast...offers memorable characters....And the aliens leave an intriguing heritage to mankind." - Locus * ". . . an affecting novel full of surprises that seem inevitable once they are explained. The key, of course, is Ender Wiggin himself. Mr. Card never makes the mistake of patronizing or sentimentalizing his hero. Alternately likable and insufferable, his is a convincing little Napoleon in short pants." - The New York Times Book Review Film Adaptation The book has been adapted into a film, directed and written by Gavin Hood and staring Asa Butterfield as Andrew "Ender" Wiggin. The cast also includes Harrison Ford, Ben Kingsley, Aramis Knight, Hailee Steinfeld, Jimmy Pinchak, Viola Davis, and Abigail Breslin. The film will first be released in the United Kingdom and Ireland on October 25, 2013, followed by release in ten other countries on October 30 and 31 (among them Australia and New Zealand), before it hits the US theatres on November 1, 2013. Controversy Some LGBT and pro-gay marriage groups have to criticized the film, which gives a producer's credit to Orson Scott Card, who is known for his opposition to same-sex marriage. Public relations exec Mark Umbach commented, "there is a huge LGBT audience for science fiction, and it's going to be hard for those fans to separate Card’s comments from his work."'Ender's Game': How Author Orson Scott Card's Anti-Gay Views Could Affect Its Success, Christian Blauvelt, Hollywood.com, 4th March, 2013. The industry trade paper The Hollywood Reporter commented: "The new scrutiny of Card’s views could be a problem for the $110 million 'Ender’s Game' movie".'Ender's Game' Author's Anti-Gay Views Pose Risks for Film, Andy Lewis,The Hollywood Reporter, 20th February, 2013, 6:00 AM PST.Orson Scott Card’s long history of homophobia, Aja Romano, Salon, 7th May, 2013, 10:41 PM. References Category:Book Adaptations Category:Books Category:Sci-Fi and Mystery